AI-generated image
Chapor ghonto
চাপড় ঘণ্ট (chapor ghonto): Bengali vegetable medley with broken fried yellow-pea dal cakes and panch phoron
In West Bengal, chapor ghonto is the thrifty, comforting dish that turns up at weekday lunch and on the vegetarian days of the Durga Puja season. Soaked yellow peas are ground and fried into small savoury cakes (chapor), then broken into a slow-cooked mix of potato, pumpkin and banana stem tempered with panch phoron, ginger and a little sugar, until everything turns soft, jammy and lightly sweet. Eat it with plain rice and a squeeze of lime. The usual mistake is stirring the chapor in too early, so they dissolve into mush; add them in the last ten minutes. Chef's tip: soak the banana stem in water with a pinch of turmeric as you slice it and pull away the fibres that wind round your finger, or it stays stringy.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chapor
- 3 ½ oz dried yellow peas (matar dal)soaked for 4 hours and drained
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp mustard oil
For the ghonto
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 1 potatopeeled, 2 cm cubes
- 9 oz pumpkinpeeled, 2 cm cubes
- 5 ½ oz banana stemfibres removed, finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Grind 3 ½ oz dried yellow peas (matar dal) with 2 green chillies, half the ½ tbsp fresh ginger, half the ½ tsp salt and 1–2 tbsp water to a thick, slightly coarse paste.
5 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a karai or wide pot over a medium heat. Drop in walnut-sized spoonfuls of paste, flatten them and fry for 2–3 minutes a side until golden and firm. Drain on a plate.
10 minStep 3: Heat the rest of the 2 tbsp mustard oil in the same pot. Add 1 tsp panch phoron, 2 bay leaves and 1 dried red chilli and let them crackle for 20 seconds.
1 minStep 4: Add 1 potato and fry for 4 minutes until the edges turn pale gold, then add 9 oz pumpkin and 5 ½ oz banana stem.
5 minStep 5: Stir in ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, the rest of the ½ tbsp fresh ginger and ½ tsp salt. Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes, until the potato breaks when pressed and the pumpkin starts to melt.
15 minStep 6: Stir in 1 tsp sugar, break the chapor into rough pieces and fold them in. Cover and cook for 5–8 minutes until the dal pieces have softened a little and the mix is thick and almost dry.
8 minStep 7: Taste for salt and serve hot with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chapor ghonto take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Masala khakhra
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushrooms
Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.
Vietnamese
Sabudana khichdi
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
